


cliché at christmas.

by cloudcore



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Eve, F/F, Gift Giving, christmas markets, happy holidays everyone!! stay safe, i just realise i forgot the hinaeve tag... it is there now, illuminations, japanese + finnish traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28337655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudcore/pseuds/cloudcore
Summary: 'Oh shine now, the star brightest in the nightly sky.'
Relationships: Hikawa Hina/Maruyama Aya, Hikawa Hina/Maruyama Aya/Wakamiya Eve, Hikawa Hina/Wakamiya Eve, Maruyama Aya/Wakamiya Eve
Kudos: 6





	cliché at christmas.

**Author's Note:**

> Summary lyrics come from 'Sylvian Joululalu.' (English = Sylvia's Christmas Song)

With her hands running through the milky-coloured hair of the girl lying on top of hair, Aya Maruyama looked through the most recent edition of her favourite magazine; her parents always bought the bi-monthly volumes for her.

The pages were, of course, filled with Christmas paraphernalia: ornaments, advertisements and photo shoots all created around the important holiday. The reds, greens and golds of the magazine began to make her head spin, and she felt the sleeping girl on top of her stir as she whistled at a particular photo of a fellow small-time idol dressed in an extravagant gown, made to look like a Christmas tree.

“Evie?” Aya whispered, tone quiet and soft like the distant Christmas music she heard playing from her sister’s room across the hall. Eve did not stir again, and Aya put her magazine aside to watch her for a moment. She felt Eve’s chest rise and fall against her own and smiled at the soft curve of Eve’s squished cheek against her shoulder. Aya didn’t know how she got so lucky: one of her girlfriends was an ethereal model, and that same model was spending Christmas with her and her family this year.

A sudden disruption back home in Finland made it impossible for Eve to return home for the Christmas period; Aya had been heartbroken when she heard this, and had immediately offered up her home for the holidays—if only to change the brave smile Eve put on to a real one.

Eve had arrived at her house in the morning and Aya had greeted her warmly before helping Eve bring up her lilac suitcase of things into her bedroom. In the Maruyama household, Christmas Eve was really only a big deal in the morning at breakfast and in the evening, so the two girls had spent the day in Aya’s room talking and watching Christmas movies on her laptop. Eve had fallen asleep during the credits of the second movie and Aya had readjusted her accordingly—Eve had already been lying between her legs, so it was just a matter of turning her over.

Now, the laptop sat abandoned to the side with a dark screen and still-whirring fan.

“Mmm, Aya?” The sudden croon of Eve’s sleep-thick voice surprised her, making Aya jolt a little as her girlfriend blinked sleepily before smiling up at her, resting her forearms on the bed to take some of her weight off Aya. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Aya whispered in response, slightly in awe of her devastatingly beautiful girlfriend—even with sleep-crusted eyes and drool smeared across her cheek.

“Sorry for falling asleep,” Eve mumbled, too tired for her usually bubbly nature, “movies make me drowsy.”

Aya giggled and wiped away Eve’s drool with her thumb, only then remembering that her hands were still twined in Eve’s hair. Eve noticed too and began to nuzzle into them. Something in Aya’s chest clenched and she couldn’t help but gently pull Eve forward and kiss her, not minding the fuzzy-feeling sleep always brought to mouths.

Following Eve’s awakening, Aya put on another movie and the two focused on it until, around half an hour in, Eve noticed the magazine Aya had been previously reading and began perusing it, still half-watching the film.

“Oh! Aya, look! These look like decorations we have in Finland!”

Aya looked over Eve’s shoulder and took in the minimalist golden ornaments displayed on the double-page spread. “Really?”

Eve nodded happily: “well, the ornaments are made out of straw, not gold. We call them himmeli! They’re a Finnish tradition.”

“That’s so cool!”

“I know!” Eve nodded again before letting Aya get back to the movie. She interrupted the film a few more times during its duration, but Aya really didn’t mind. She liked hearing what her girlfriend had to say.

In the late-evening, their fourth movie was disrupted by Aya’s bedroom door suddenly slamming open: “Aya, what drink do you want with—oh.” Yami, Aya’s little sister, stood silently in the doorway for half a second before grinning wickedly and saying: “I’ll come back later.”

“Yami!” Aya whined, embarrassed. “We’re just watching a movie.”

Yami eyed the two suspiciously but seemed to accept Aya’s words. “So, what drink?”

Aya shifted out from under Eve and walked over to the doorframe. “What drinks do they have again?”

“We order fried chicken from this place every Christmas, how do you not know what drinks they have?!”

“What? I’m forgetful…”

Yami rolled her eyes but showed Aya the menu, nonetheless. After a few seconds, Aya felt a hand on her shoulder and knew that Eve had come to look at the menu, too.

Aya ultimately decided to have the crushed pear juice—as she did every year—and at the name of the drink, Eve excitedly explained: “that sounds powerful! I’ll have that, too.”

“Are pears bushido, Eve?” Aya asked.

“All fruits are!” Eve nodded with a twinkle in her eyes, “they are healthy and give your strength.” Adoration bubbled in Aya’s chest, and she placed her hand over the one Eve had on her shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze.

In front of them, Yami looked like she was about to vomit. “Do Mum and Dad know?”

“… What do you think?” Aya sighed before ruffing Yami’s hair, “and I know you won’t tell them.”

Behind them, Eve was a little confused. She wasn’t sure what the sisters were cryptically talking about, and so she stayed silent—well, she did until she realised that she had never properly introduced herself to Aya’s little sister.

“Oh! I must apologise, I haven’t introduced myself!” Eve stepped forward, a slight blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. “I’m Wakamiya Eve, a friend of Aya’s and a fellow member of Pastel✽Palettes.”

Yami looked her up and down. “Hmm…. Well, it’s always nice to meet one of Aya’s friends.” She gave Aya a side-eye so fast that Eve missed it. “Anyway, I knew who you were already. I do like to keep track of what my sister does, even if it means that I have to watch her Bubble-gum performances.”

“You like my ‘Bubble-gum’ performances, thank you very much!” Aya declared with a frown.

Ignoring their comments, Eve continued her introduction. “I’m sorry for not introducing myself earlier; I am staying at your house for Christmas and Christmas Eve, after all.”

“It’s okay, Evie. Mimi never leaves her room, so she wasn’t in the living room when you arrived.”

Yami rolled her eyes: “I’ll have you know, Eve, that I do leave my room. And that it’s okay: I don’t really care. If you hadn’t gathered it already, I’m Maruyama Yami, this one’s little sister.”

“More like little menace,” Aya jokingly whispered, just loud enough for Yami to hear. Yami kicked her in the shin, still facing Eve. “Are you okay with sharing fried chicken with Aya and I? If not, you can get a chicken burger like our parents.”

Eve smiled: “oh, I really don’t mind! I’m not picky!”

“That’s good; Mum and Dad are just going to pick up the food now, so we should probably start setting the table and stuff.”

Aya nodded at Yami, starting to follow her sister as she began to walk to the stairs before pausing. “Do you mind spicy things, Evie?”

“Nope!”

“Oh, that’s good,” Aya smiled, “because the chicken me and Yami usually get comes in the spicy and original flavours.”

Eve nodded; the two began to walk.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve never had fried chicken before—my parents never let me have any back home, and it’s not a tradition during Finnish Christmas, either.”

Aya blushed: of course her model girlfriend had never eaten fried chicken before. She was surprised Eve even knew what it was. “Well, I hope this is a good first experience.”

Mr and Mrs Maruyama didn’t take long to fetch the food—despite all fried chicken places being tremendously busy during the Christmas period—meaning that the girls didn’t have to sit around for too long after they had finished setting the table and getting their presents ready to exchange.

“Oh! I’ll take that, Mum,” Aya immediately rose from her chair when the front door opened and her mother came into the room, carrying the food boxes. “You and Dad can just go get ready for dinner.”

Mrs Maruyama kissed her daughter on the forehead, “thank you, sweetheart. Your father is just coming in with the drinks.”

“I have come in with the drinks!” Mr Maruyama announced immediately after, causing Aya to burst into a fit of giggles; at the dinner table, Yami rolled her eyes in embarrassment.

Her parents left the room to put away their coats and get the presents they had put under the tree, and Aya got to work setting out the food and drinks. Eve got up to help at one point, but Aya immediately made her sit down: she found it easier on her own, and besides… Eve was her guest.

“Merry Christmas!” Mr Maruyama loudly exclaimed when he got back to the room, clad in an obnoxiously red sweater decorated with elves—behind him, Mrs Maruyama looked normal in a loose jumper and warm pants.

Yami groaned and dropped her head to the table with a _‘thunk!’_ “Dad, you are so embarrassing!”

“Can a man not celebrate Christmas in his own house? No one is judging me here.”

“I am—and we literally have a model at our table.”

Eve laughed at Yami’s words: “you’re making me sound much more important than I really am! Besides, I think you look stunning, Mr Maruyama.”

“Thank you! That’s what I like to hear.”

When everyone was seated at the table, they began their meal with a word of thanks; Aya began playing pop-versions of Christmas carols on her phone. From her spot across the table, it was clear to Aya that Eve was enjoying the meal: she was chowing down happily, conversing with her parents, and Yami even let her try some of the grape juice she had gotten—Aya’s parents didn’t let her try their drinks, as they were both drinking beer.

“You come front Finland, don’t you, Miss Wakamiya?” Eve nodded at Mrs Maruyama’s question, wiping some grease from the side of her mouth. “What’s Christmas like over there?”

“Wonderful,” Eve answered immediately. “Everyone gets into it! Fishermen put away their nets, family’s join together and Christmas music fills the air. Ooh, we even have a theme park!”

“What do you call Mr Santa?” Yami asked, mouth around her straw.

“Oh—just Santa, Father Christmas, names like that. Though, I suppose there is another name we call him that’s unique to us: Joulupukki.”

“... What does that mean?”

“Christmas goat!” Yami nodded half-assedly, as if Eve’s answer hadn’t created more questions. “Mm, we don’t really see Mr Santa as a goat anymore, but the name comes from an old tradition! The _Greedy Yule Goat.”_

Another question was asked of Eve a few minutes later, this time from Aya’s father: “how do you say Merry Christmas?”

“Oh! Hyvää Joula!” Eve’s honest smile showed that she didn’t mind answering their questions. “Though, as I’m actually part Sámi, me and my family also say: Buorit Juovllat.”

After—the very delicious, according to Eve—dinner concluded, the Maruyama’s washed up. Eve watched them from the table, bouncing her legs up and down, and while she was disappointed that the Maruyama’s didn’t let her help, she became happy again when Mrs Maruyama told her it was time to exchange presents.

“Miss Wakamiya, I hope it’s alright that we didn’t get you a present. Your staying over was very last minute, you see, and—”

Eve cut Mrs Maruyama off with a shake of her head. “Not at all! Just being able to spend Christmas at your house is enough for me, gifting me anything else would have made me feel insecure about the presents I brought for all of you.”

Mrs Maruyama was quiet for a few seconds before she turned to her eldest daughter; “Aya, keep this one close. She is a good friend—ones like her are usually hard to come by.

Aya laughed: “well, I wasn’t planning on deserting Evie anytime soon!”

In the Maruyama household, the present-receiving order was decided on through rounds of _‘Scissor, Paper, Rock.’_ Yami, being the girl she was, came first; Eve came next, despite the fact that her only present would be from Aya; counting as one, Mr and Mrs Maruyama came after, leaving Aya to take up the rear.

She often did.

“I’m gonna be extra picky this year folks! Let’s hope you can impress me,” Yami crossed her arms and laughed a maniacal laugh. Aya couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her mouth at the way Eve leaned away from Yami as soon as she started laughing; unfortunately, this small smile was what singled her out, and Yami made grabby hands at her sister.

“Oh! Okay…” Aya gently picked up the present that sat wrapped in gold and black wrapping paper from in front of her before handing it over to Yami.

Inside was a black, acid-washed jean jacket along with a variety of different patches: they displayed designs from aliens to roses. Yami’s eyes had sparkled as soon as she had torn open the present, and from that alone, Aya was able to tell that her gift was a success. Next came the present from Mrs and Mr Maruyama, which turned out to be a stock of different makeup products Yami had been requesting as of late: eyeshadow palettes, black lip gloss, new eyeliner and the likes. When it came to Eve’s turn, both girls were a bit nervous: Eve as she wasn’t sure if the present would overstep and Yami as she didn’t want to hurt Eve’s feelings if she didn’t like the gift.

“Now, to find you a good present I had to ask Aya a few things so I could get you something you really liked! I hoped you don’t mind—particularly considering what it is.” From under the table, Eve pulled out a white tube decorated with little marker Santa’s Eve had drawn on. Yami took the tube, intrigued, and uncapped it with a satisfying _‘pop.’_

There was a poster inside; Yami took it out and unfolded it carefully, only for her mouth to fall open.

“Oh my god!”

After quizzing Aya about her younger sister one slow day at practice, Eve had found out that she was ‘grunge.’ Not only did her interests include alternative rock and thrifting from various shops around the town, but she also loved to follow models who represented her style. As it turned out, Eve happened to know one of them personally—a boy she had done a shoot with earlier this year; they had kept in loose contact ever since.

Yami began to shake in her seat: “oh my god! Oh my god! This is so cool—it’s signed and, and—”

“It’s a limited-edition poster!” Eve chimed with a smile. “Don’t worry, it didn’t cost me anything! Hiroki had a few prints spare, and we’re business friends.”

Much to Eve’s surprise, Yami slammed herself down onto the table in a bow: “I don’t know how to thank you! I will dedicate my life to—”

When her parents finally managed to calm Yami down, it was Eve’s turn. Again, the table looked towards Aya expectantly and she took out a heavy gift wrapped in lavender paper.

“They’re not much, but I know you’ll put them to good use.” Aya smiled, laughing at the way Eve struggled with the wrapping paper.

Just like Yami had, Eve’s eyes brightened when she saw Aya’s present; she held the three textbooks above her with joy. “Aya! This is so bushido! Not only do these textbooks teach the art of bushido, but they talk of samurais and temples and—”

Aya laughed. “I’m glad that you like it.”

“I really do!”

Eve put the Edo-focused textbooks aside so that Mr and Mrs Maruyama could open their presents. Yami, who Eve didn’t know and wouldn’t have guessed knitted, had made her parents matching scarfs, beanies and gloves all in the same ombré of green to yellow; Aya bought her parents a yet-to-be released Pastel✽Palettes DVD, as she knew her parents loved to see her working; finally, Eve had made them a pamphlet filled with candid shots of Aya all taken over the past year.

Yami desperately wanted a copy, and Aya was extremely embarrassed by some of the less than flattering shots.

Finally, it was Aya’s turn to receive her presents.

“Mum, Dad, do you wanna go first?”

“Of course, sweetheart!” Mrs Maruyama smiled and gave Aya her present. There were two packages, one big and the other small, and the two were tied together with a pale pink ribbon. Aya untied it and put it aside for later—she would definitely use it as an accessory—before unwrapping the gift.

“Oh! This look wonderful!” Aya smile after the bigger present revealed itself to be a book titled ‘Spring Around the World’. “I can’t wait to read this!”

“Open the small one!” Yami demanded, sitting on the edge of her seat, and Aya did. Aya felt rather ‘called out’ by the new pink selfie stick inside, bought to replace her old one, with a little cherry blossom charm hanging off the end.

“Open mine now, Aya!” Eve smiled. “I couldn’t wrap it because I finished it this morning right before I had to go, but I hope you still like it.”

Much to Aya’s delight, it was a photo book filled with photos since the very first day they’d met: the cover was white, trimmed in gold, and the pages within were a cream. The photos were not chronological and held mainly Aya, Eve and Hina; however, a few of them did show the rest of Pastel✽Palettes and a few of their other friends.

“Evie! This is so cute!” Aya grinned, feeling close to tears.

Eve giggled: “I wanted to give you something personal! And this was the perfect thing.”

“It’s decided,” Mr Maruyama cleared his throat, “Miss Wakamiya is the best at giving gifts—”

“Oh, I’d hold your horses, Dad,” Yami grinned, holding up a large tube—likely holding a poster, as it was almost identical to the tube Eve had given her. “This is gonna blow Aya’s socks off!”

Blinking away the happy tears that hadn’t quite spilled, Aya took the tube and uncapped it. When she unrolled the poser inside, she screamed.

“Oh my—Yami, how—oh my god! Oh my god!” Mouth hanging open, Aya turned the poster around to face her family.

Eve recognised the women on it, but Yami described the posters design best: “this, my friends, is regarded as a rare collector’s item amongst past and present Marmalade fans. It is the group’s first ever poster, and the product has long since been out of stock.”

“How—how did you—”

“I have my ways,” Yami quipped before turning to her Dad. “Now, what was that about Wakamiya over there being the best present giver?”

Mr Maruyama was a little shocked—not by the present but by Aya’s dramatic reaction to it—but he managed to mumble out: “well, you may have outdone yourself with Aya, kiddo… but Eve still has you beat with the rest of us.”

“Hey! You and Mum are the only ones left! And I knitted you things!”

After Yami settled, the group threw away wrapping paper and moved to the living room with their presents to sit in front of the tree to open the presents that had arrived from the Maruyama relatives. Aya let Eve open her gifts for her, and Mrs Maruyama put on the T.V. in the background—she turned to a quiz show, the current episode, of course, focused on Christmas trivia.

Even later, the Maruyama parents brought out the Christmas cake Aya and Yami had made the day before and Eve gave Aya the strawberry on top of her cake, knowing that she loved them the most. Eating the dessert, Eve suddenly remembered something and sprung up from her spot on the ground.

“I’ll be right back! Aya, hold my cake.”

Aya did so, and watched her girlfriend go. She wasn’t sure what had come across Eve all of a sudden, but she was sure it would be something interesting.

“What’s her problem?” Yami asked, licking whipped cream from her fingers.

“Yami!” Their mother immediately chided, “that’s not very nice.”

Eve came back with a container; “I just remembered that I made a Finnish Christmas dessert for you all—we have rice pudding or porridge with this really delicious paste; I made rice pudding because I like it more!” Eve gave one each to the Maruyama’s, “um… it might not look that good, but I promise it’s tasty!”

It really, truly was. Even Yami found it delicious, and Aya was glad to see that she wasn’t playing her satisfaction up at all. Just as Yami was getting to the end of her pudding, however, she began to cough and spat something into her palm.

“... An almond?” Yami questioned, holding up the nut.

Eve gasped: “oh! You got the almond! I placed an almond in one of the puddings as it is a tradition back home: getting it means you are blessed with luck for next year!”

Mrs Maruyama smiled: “isn’t that wonderful, Yami. And Miss Wakamiya, thank you so much for doing all of this. Not only did you bring us presents when you really didn’t have to, but you are sharing your culture with us, too.”

Eve smiled. “Buorit Juovllat!”

•••

Aya woke up the next morning to her phone buzzing from underneath her pillow and her left arm tingling with sleep. Aya groaned, trying to hide away from the sun shining through her thin curtains; she had woken up much too early for someone who had stayed up watching the stars from her bedroom with her girlfriend, waiting for midnight to bring Christmas along with it.

Aya suddenly jolted: _Christmas!_

Sleepiness suddenly evaporated, she turned to Eve who was still sound asleep next to her. She was star-fishing, taking up much more than her half of the bed as indicated by the fact that she was lying on the entirety of Aya’s left arm.

“Evie! Evie!” She whispered, shaking Eve with her right hand until Eve cracked open her eyes. “Can I have my arm back?”

“Mm,” Eve hummed, rolling over and curling into a ball. Aya stretched her arm for a few minutes, waiting for it to come back to life before she grabbed her phone and ran to her door.

“I’ll be back, Evie!”

“Mm.”

Aya rushed the stairs to see if anyone was awake, only to see her parents checking over their things for work.

“I always forget you have to work on Christmas”, she sighed, disheartened by the fact her parents wouldn’t be home to celebrate the day.

“Good morning, honey,” her mother smiled, zipping her bag closed. “You kids are lucky, but us adults? We still have to work.”

“I work, too! The fast food place just doesn’t put high schoolers on during the Winter holidays.”

Mrs Maruyama smiled before kissing her daughter on the head as she walked past. Just as she was about to head out the door she paused, “Aya, Merry Christmas.”

Aya sighed, not able to stay upset by the kind look on her mother’s face. “Merry Christmas, Mum.” When her mother was gone, Aya turned to her father: “you’re going now, too, huh?”

Mr Maruyama shrugged. “What can ya’ do? I am getting off early, though! So, you’ll only have to keep Yami and Miss Wakamiya in line for a little while.”

“Good to know,” Aya laughed. “Have a good day, Dad—and Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” Mr Maruyama cheered as he went through the front door.

As Aya didn’t feel very hungry, and there was no reason to stay downstairs, she decided to return to her bedroom. She contemplated knocking on Yami’s door but thought better of it: Yami would come get her when she wanted to, she needed her space and she likely wouldn’t be up until twelve.

Eve woke to the sound of Aya opening the door, having fallen asleep while Aya was downstairs, but Aya managed to lull her back to sleep when she got back in bed and allowed Eve to cuddle up to her. On her phone, Aya’s early-bird friends and family sent ‘Merry Christmas’ messages and her social media was blowing up with similar messages from fans. She sent a few messages to her extended family in the absence of her parents, telling them about what they all had done yesterday, before flicking over to the big group chat of girls that had been ever-active since it was created.

The members of Afterglow were all online—due to the fact that they had stayed up all night during a special Christmas sleepover—and were actively responding to Sāya, Kanon and Hagumi, among others. Aya sent a quick few messages, snapping a photo of herself and a sleeping Eve to send alongside a few sneaky ones she had taken last night. Chisato, who had also sent her a private Christmas message, was surprised to see her awake and Aya replied that it was the one time of year where she _wanted_ to get up early.

> _**Yamabuki, Sāya: Is anyone going to the Christmas Markets downtown tonight? Or did some of you already go?** _
> 
> _**Kitazawa, Hagumi: everyone in harohapi went last night!!!! my dad even let me get off work early** _
> 
> _**Matsubara, Kanon: Ha-ha, I think Sāya knows that already, Hagumi. We all went to visit her! :)** _
> 
> _**Shirokane, Rinko: roselia is going tonight （っ＾▿＾）** _   
>  _**Shirokane, Rinko: we will be sure to visit the bakery, sāya~** _
> 
> _**Udagawa, Tomoe: Ohhhh no way! Afterglow is goin too** _
> 
> _**Shirasagi, Chisato: You, Hina and Eve had plans to visit the markets, too, didn’t you, Aya?** _
> 
> _**Maruyama, Aya: yup!** _   
>  _**Maruyama, Aya: well, we’re mainly going for the illuminations but as they are a part of the markets, we’ll be wandering around there, too** _
> 
> _**Uehara, Himari: it would be nice if everyone going could meet up <3** _
> 
> _**Maruyama, Aya: i agree! :)** _

“Who are you messaging?” Eve asked, finally ready to face the day. Her voice was still thick with sleep, and there was still a trail of drool going down her chin, but Aya could tell that Eve had no intention of going back to sleep.

“Everyone, Evie,” Aya responded warmly, wiping the drool from Eve’s face and adjusting her arm around Eve’s shoulder. “A few of us are going to the Christmas Markets tonight, and so we’re just discussing if we should meet up or not.”

“I like that idea!” Eve smiled.

“Why don’t you tell them?”

> _**Maruyama, Aya: I like that idea very much! It is a part of the bushido spirit to celebrate the holidays with those you care for - Eve W.** _   
>  _**Maruyama, Aya: If we come across each other, we should continue on together! - Eve W.** _

“You’re the only Eve in the chat, Evie,” Aya sighed as she looked over the messages. “And you signed your name the wrong way.”

Eve shrugged: “everyone is used to it! And I wanted to clarify it was me in case another Eve comes to their mind when they see my name.”

“I think that is highly unlikely given where we are.”

“It can happen!”

Yami came into the room whining for breakfast much earlier than Aya thought she would, and downstairs she made pancakes while Eve and Yami played a video game of Yami’s in the living room. The day was very slow-paced, like it always was—Christmas Eve holding the festivities over Christmas day. A few parcels arrived from relatives, though, and Aya and Yami opened theirs together before putting their parent’s aside for when they got home.

“I hear you’re not gonna be here tonight?”

“Oh, yes,” Aya smiled as she fastened a few of the butterfly clips one of her cousins had gotten her into her hair. “Evie and I are going out with someone; are you, Mum and Dad going to see the Illuminations?”

“Oh, maybe,” Yami shrugged, throwing wrapping paper at Eve, who was watching T.V. on the couch behind them. “I kinda wanna stay home, though.”

“You should! I’ll take pictures for you.”

“Cool.”

Hina Hikawa, the aforementioned ‘someone’, came knocking that evening; Aya’s parents were already home and her and Eve were already dressed for their outing. Mrs Maruyama called them down, and the two met a bouncing Hina on the front steps.

“Stay warm, girls. And be safe! Don’t get home too late.”

“Okay, Mum!” Aya called before racing her girlfriends off the property.

“How was your Christmas, Hina?” Eve asked as the three of them joined hands, Eve in the middle despite the fact that she was the tallest—Aya and Hina were the same height.

“Great! Awesome! I got to hang out with Sis all day, and I got some wicked presents!”

“Did you get that telescope you wanted?” Aya asked, leaning forward so she could see Hina.

“Mhm!” Hina grinned, leaning forward, too; as the street was empty, she had no qualms about leaning forward and kissing Aya on the lips.

“Hi—Hina!” Aya squealed, darting back and hiding behind Eve. “We’re in public! What if one of our fans saw?!”

Hina shrugged, “we probably wouldn’t be allowed to share rooms on Pasupare excursions, anymore.” She frowned at Aya’s stiff expression: “I missed you, okay! And I especially missed your kisses.”

“There is a time and place for—”

Eve let go of their hands and hit both of them in the back of the head: “stop fighting! Where’s your Christmas spirit? Aya is right, but Hina is also just trying to celebrate! So, there is no need to fight, we’re nearly at the markets, anyway.”

Aya sighed, “yes, you’re right.” Hina stuck her tongue out cheekily at Aya, but they managed to keep from play-fighting. The sun was barely beginning to set when they reached the markets, meaning that they had a while yet before the Christmas Illuminations began. To keep themselves busy, the wandered around the markets together and even bought a few things: Aya a little glass elephant, Eve a hairpin that looked straight out of the Edo period, Hina an alien brooch and the three matching flower necklaces.

At one point, a group of girls—fans—recognised them, and the three allowed them all to have a photo and hug before wishing them a Merry Christmas.

They then spent the awkward in-between period where it wasn’t quite night and wasn’t quite evening, either, in Sāya’s bakery. Eve entertained her siblings while Aya and Hina talked to Sāya and her parents; having the same idea, Roselia came to the bakery as well, and the lot chatted before Roselia and the girlfriends saw the Christmas Illuminations flicker on outside. Hina rushed out immediately, and so Eve and Aya followed—Roselia, when they left the bakery, went in the opposite direction of the three.

“Aya! Eve! Lookie lookie!” Hina gestured wildly to the now-lit sky above them. “It’s so pretty!”

And it was. The fairy lights hung from switched-off lamppost to switched-off lamppost flickered white and gold while the proper Christmas displays were slightly away from the markets. There were Santa’s everywhere, as well as flashing presents and blinking reindeer. Children ran along with their parents between the lit-up figures and high schoolers posed in front of them.

“We should join them!” Eve exclaimed, talking about the children.

“Mhm!” Hina agreed.

Acting as their parent, Aya supervised Hina and Eve as they darted between people and lights, occasionally playing with the children and photobombing selfies—though, Aya was sure that she wouldn’t mind ‘celebrities’ photobombing _her_ that much. The colourful lights dyed Eve’s hair a million shades, and Aya knew that Hina noticed it too as she always tugged on Eve’s braids when she caught up to her. Hina, on the other hand, came alive in the lights that were so much like the twinkling stars that dotted the sky—though Hina would constantly remind her girlfriends that stars were a lot more than the small, pretty lights they appeared to be.

“Aya! Join us!” Hina called as she and Eve ran back over to her.

“Oh, no; you know I’m not the best at run—” before Aya could finish her excuse, Hina grabbed her wrist and began dragging her along with Eve following behind them. Aya ran and ran and ran with her girlfriends by her sides until she felt her legs twitch underneath her and she fell to the ground—well, she would’ve if not for Eve’s fast reflexes.

Aya was long past the feeling that she was going to throw up, or the urgent need to pee that always plagued her when she ran.

Hina laughed: “I guess we pushed you too much, Aya!”

“You think?!” Aya coughed out between deep breaths, allowing Eve to support her weight in its entirety.

For a calmer environment, Eve and Hina decided that it would be best if their date returned back to the markets. It was extremely busy, yes, but the crush of people made it impossible for Eve and Hina to run off, leaving Aya with no choice but to chase them unless she wanted to get lost. The three began playing games at the stalls, and Hina—her trait of being good at everything she did carrying on to the stall games—won big prizes each and every time. There was a seal plush for Aya, a big box of candy for Eve and so many more. At one of the stalls, the ‘duck fishing’ one to be specific, they encountered Afterglow—well, they encountered Tomoe after the redhead yelled at Hina for stealing the duck she was obviously going for who then recognised them and lead them to the rest of her band after Hina had won a fly-swatter in the shape of a frog.

“Oh!” Tsugumi noticed them walking over with Tomoe first, “Miss Hina, Eve, Maruyama! Hello.”

“Hi!” Eve chimed, running over to give her friend—and boss—a big hug.

“You made it,” Himari smiled, and Aya nodded her head.

The group played practically all of the stall games together, separating before they were able to play the last few when Afterglow had to pull a highly competitive Tomoe away from an equally competitive Hina.

“What now?” Aya asked after she, Eve and Hina got hot chocolate from one of the normal stalls. It tasted of chocolate, cinnamon and melting marshmallows; the girlfriends were sitting at a bench separated from the Markets just enough that they could talk to each other without having to yell or raise their voices to be heard.

“Hm, I dunno,” Hina shrugged, a moustache of chocolate on her upper lip.

“We could exchange presents!” Eve suggested after a little while, “well, Aya and I could give our present to Hina, and Hina could give us ours.”

“That’s a good idea!” Hina nodded.

“And this is a good area for it,” Aya agreed, “away from the crowds and such.”

With golden light filtering over from the markets, and Christmas tunes being carried in the air, the three exchanged gifts. Eve, who was carrying the actual gift, and Aya got Hina a ticket for the new planetarium opening up intown near the star of next year—as well as another ticket, which she would no doubt give to Saya. Hina, on a similar wavelength, got Eve tickets to an Edo-period play that was starting at the local theatre and Aya a large voucher to the Idol pop-up shop that was set to open in April in the mall.

The three didn’t go back to the market after exchanging gifts, instead they remained seated on the bench for a little while longer before they walked Hina home, exchanged a kiss, and went back to Aya’s house.

Yami greeted them in the living room, and a tired Aya decided that she wanted to go straight to bed—she fell asleep that night, as cliché as it was, warmed by the Christmas spirit and the love she felt for those around her.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays everyone!!! To those who celebrate Christmas, I hope it was wonderful, and to those who don't, I hope you are enjoying the break the holidays bring! I hope you are all staying safe! 
> 
> This year has been wild, but in regards to myself, I'd like to thank anyone who read the work I've posted this year! After a big break from writing, I got the inspo to write again in the form of a gift!! Since, I have been posting more and more and I thank anyone who has enjoyed any of it :)
> 
> To find me, I am @mocasaya on twit and my card ( mocasaya.carrd.co ) links to my other things, too!


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